I attended a baby shower for my lovely sister in law today and it got me thinking about what you really need to buy for a newborn. There are plenty of lists online outlining the ‘essentials’ and people will always tell you not to buy too much because you won’t use it all (but should we listen to them?).

Emma’s Diary have put together a useful little list of the essential items a newborn needs:

Cot (plus mattress, sheets and blankets), Car seat, Pram/buggy/travel system, Six sleepsuits/ long sleeved suits, Six vests/ short sleeved suits, Two cardigans/ jacketsShawl or snow suit, Hat, mittens and bootees, Changing mat, NappiesBottles/teats/bottle brush (only needed if not breastfeeding), Nursing bra and breast pads, Loads of bibs, Plenty of towels/ flannels/muslin squares (for bathing and dribbles!), Loads of kitchen roll and cotton wool pads, Brush and comb.        www.emmasdiary.co.uk

When you read it there doesn’t seem to be much. Where are the cute little outfits, the bouncy chair, the high tech swing, the play gym, the cuddly toys etc? Apparently newborns don’t need these things. “Don’t bother with a baby bath” people say “just bath them in the sink” or “you’ll never dress them in outfits, you’ll just use sleepsuits for the first few months”. Fair enough, when you think about it newborns don’t actually NEED as much as you think but what about what you WANT?

Now be honest, did you really only WANT the bare essentials for your child or did you WANT to buy the cute outfits, the musical swing and the coordinating nursery? I’ll admit, we had a baby bath, a bouncy chair, a swing, lots of outfits, cute teddy bears etc. And I will also admit that we used them all! They may not have been essential but they were useful! I loved dressing baby boy in a different outfit each day and found the bouncy chair to be a godsend when I needed to eat. I was lucky and was either given a lot of items or was able to get them second hand so I didn’t have to spend a lot of money. I have found that even with ‘non essentials’ it doesn’t have to cost the earth.

We may not NEED to buy lots for our bundles of joy but sometimes we just WANT to.

Did you go overboard when buying for your little one? Did you use it all?

image credit – http://www.pregnancy-baby-care.com/baby-needs.html